Factors associated with stress when caring for a child with a short stature

Abstract

Short stature (SS) is one of the main diagnoses in Pediatric Endocrinology. SS can have a negative impact on family dynamics, causing stress and psychopathology. Poor adaptation by the family caregiver negatively affects the pediatric patient. Our objective was therefore to study the adjustment of the main family caregivers of pediatric patients with SS, analyzing the factors influencing it. One hundred and ten primary family caregivers of pediatric SS patients from hospitals in Valencia, Spain, participated. Parental stress (Pediatric Inventory for Parents), anxious and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), family functioning (Family Cohesion and Adaptation Scale), and adult attachment (Adult Attachment Questionnaire) were evaluated. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was performed. The caregiver’s age, anxiety, and attachment variables are significant when predicting the main family caregiver’s adaptation to the stress caused by the diagnosis. These results will help improve adaptation to the diagnosis, since healthcare personnel will be able to establish that caregivers and/or families present a greater risk of mismatch more quickly and apply the necessary intervention.